Theodore, his emotions palpable, broke the silence in a measured tone.
“Yes, she was. After she succumbed to the effects of the drug, Darian publicly declared her death from a severe illness. Within months, he married Sharon. Meanwhile, she… Languished in that place, year after year, until her last breath.”
Feeling Theodore tremble ever so slightly, Ariana enveloped him in a comforting embrace.
Theodore’s gaze remained fixed on the image on the tombstone, lost in thought.
During those years, Darian’s men heavily guarded the entire manor.
There was no escape for Aimee. Meanwhile, Theodore, only five years old at the time, was forbidden to see her.
Nonetheless, the young Theodore managed to clandestinely visit her by slipping through a discreet hole in the wall.
Aimee, robbed of her sanity, would still give him morsels of food upon his arrival.
She at times would lovingly caress his face one moment, only to push him away the next, her arms holding her head in terror as she begged him to stay away.
Those scenes were etched into Theodore’s memory, vivid and haunting.
“Then… How did she die?” Ariana asked cautiously, her voice Laced with trepidation.
Theodore, returning to the present, let out a pained sigh. “She took her own life!”
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He lowered himself, resting his head on Ariana’s shoulder, as if finding solace in her embrace. A long sigh escaped his lips as if his sorrow-laden heart had finally found a momentary respite.
Comforting him with her embrace, Ariana whispered soothingly, “Everything will be alright. The past is behind us now.”
“Yes,” he responded with a somber tone before continuing, “You’ve been curious about Marley, haven’t you?”
Ariana couldn’t help but feel surprised when Theodore mentioned Marley in such an unexpected circumstance.
She gazed at him with a blank expression as he straightened up and forced a bitter smile. “Marley is my… half-sister,” he revealed.
The words hung in the air, and Ariana’s mind struggled to comprehend the sudden revelation.
Hadn’t Marley been the girl of his dreams? How could she suddenly become his sister?
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The weight of this new information was hard for Ariana to digest. Based on Marley’s photos, she estimated that Marley was probably around six years younger than Theodore. But at that time, Aimee had been imprisoned in the manor by Darian. How could she have gotten pregnant?
If Marley truly was Theodore’s sister, why had she Lived in that small town and met such a tragic fate?
Ariana found it difficult to wrap her head around it all.
Sensing her shock and confusion, Theodore intended to explain, but as he was about to speak, a wave of pain gripped his brain, causing him to falter.
At that moment, Theodore saw Marley appear before him again, consumed by hatred, and she spoke to him in a spiteful tone, declaring that he would never deserve forgiveness.
Subconsciously, Theodore tightened his grip on Ariana’s hand. It felt as though the blood in his veins turned to ice, freezing him in place as if he had fallen into an icy cave.